Belle Chasse Tunnel to close this weekend while corps tests floodgates

The Belle Chasse Tunnel will be closed this weekend as part of the Army Corps of Engineers ongoing work on the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System. The tunnel will close Friday at 7 p.m. and reopen Monday at 5 a.m.

Susan Poag/The Times-PicayuneThe Belle Chasse Tunnel will close from Friday to early Monday as the Army Corps of Engineers conduct tests on floodgates installed on both ends of the tunnel.

The purpose is "to allow workers to adjust and test the overhead roller gates,'' project manager Ted Carr, said in a news release.

Last year, the corps began work on the $30 million project that calls for floodgates at both ends of the tunnel to connect to the canal's floodwalls in order to protect the area against a 100-year storm.

Officials said another tunnel closure will be scheduled in a few weeks to allow crews to upgrade the pumps.

Motorists will be detoured over the Belle Chasse Bridge during the work.